


Lucky Charm

by chararii



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drinking, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Gambling, Hopeful Ending, One Night Stands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chararii/pseuds/chararii
Summary: “I'm Mei. Terumi Mei,” she said with a smile and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Tsunade's eyes got caught on the hint of a silvery line before it was once more covered by auburn strands.“I'm the leader of the rebellion.”“I don't do rebellions.” Tsunade was no hero, hadn't been one for years. In hindsight, wondered if she'd ever been. Shaking her head as if to get rid of the memories, she stuffed another piece of fish inside her mouth.“No. I've seen what you do.” Her head shot up as she narrowed her eyes at the woman.“You lose a lot of bets and look beautiful doing it.”Or: During her travels, Tsunade ends up in Water's rebel camp and instead of following the usual process of gambling, losing and running, she leaves with only a single coin lost, and a new habit.
Relationships: Terumi Mei/Tsunade
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	Lucky Charm

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be my first smut work after years of no practise. That didn't happen but I like it much better like this. Either way, enjoy! :)

“You don't look like you belong here.” Tsunade gave a non-committal grunt before blindly reaching for another bottle of sake – her third – and listlessly throwing another trash hand onto the table in front of her. The gaggle of men surrounding her howled in laughter and joy as the one opposite of Tsunade greedily reached for the mass of coins between them.

Knocking back the sake, Tsunade wiped her mouth and waved her hand in the direction of the bar man while the men prepared another round of cards. The presence that had randomly appeared by her side, just so out of her field of view, didn't leave.

“I've been watching you for a while. You played thirty-six games since you arrived and lost every single one of them.” With a frown, she accepted the drink that was handed to her and picked up her cards from the table.

“What keeps you going, I wonder.” The vein on Tsunade's forehead began to pulse as she casually took in her hand. Trash. Again. Always. She took another swig of sake. Played her hand. Lost. Repeat.

“Do you plan on telling them that you're going to bail and run the second they realise you have no money?” As fast as lightning, Tsunade whirled around and grabbed the owner of the voice that had whispered into her ear. Before her hand could make contact, she felt her wrist snatched out of the air. Honey coloured eyes moved from the dainty fingers that held onto her to the pale skinned arm all the way to the face of a woman.

Auburn strands obscured one of her twinkling emerald eyes while red lips were formed into an amused smirk. Tsunade took in the defined muscle of her shoulders, the net covering most of her upper body as well as the ample chest straining against the fine blue cloth of a dress.

“Buzz off,” she growled and tugged at her wrist, filling her limb with just a tiny amount of chakra upon realising that this woman wasn't going to let go on her own. Fake apology filled her features as she raised her palms, feigning innocence.

“I was just curious. You're too pretty to waste away in a place like this.” Tsunade was under no illusions that this woman didn't know exactly who she was. She hadn't bothered hiding her byakugo. In this backwater hole of a village she'd figured the chances of anyone tracking her down were slim enough. Yet here she was, this unknown female who had all the markings of a seasoned shinobi no matter how she dressed.

“I told you to buzz off.” Resolving to ignore her, Tsunade returned her attention to her game. Accepted her hand. Bet. Lost. Repeat. Despite not moving, at least the woman was quiet. The next time Tsunade fingered the neck of an empty bottle, blue painted nails entered her vision. She paused for a moment, debated whether to double down on her dismissal or simply accept the offering. Her dry throat made her decide on the latter.

Gradually as Tsunade downed one bottle after another, the games blurred together. At some point she completely gave up on paying attention. She lost either way. And this persistent itch on her back, the unwavering attention of blazing green eyes and fine, long fingers that never failed to supply her with another bottle, another shot, another drink. Each and every time before taking a sip, Tsunade subtly checked the liquid for poison only to find none.

The woman's motives eluded her and she didn't like it.

“Well well princess, I believe it's time to pay up.” Tsunade exhaled noisily as she grudgingly got to her feet. This was by far her least favourite part of her eternal cycle of run and hide. Running, always running. God, existing was such a pain.

“It's fine. She's with me.” Tsunade furrowed her brows as she turned around to give the redhead her best stink eye. Who the hell did she think she was.

“Yes, Mei-sama,” the ringleader of the group Tsunade had been losing her non-existent money to spoke demurely with a low bow of his head before gathering his friends and abandoning the dingy bar. Mei, huh? She inspected the woman once more, spotted at least three hidden kunai and tried to marry her sultry appearance with someone who lorded over this haunt like a shepherd over his sheep.

“The hell you want.” There was no use beating around the bush. The interior had cleared out by now, leaving behind nobody but the two of them. Tsunade was no sensor by far though she was dimly aware of the three presences crouching on the roof above their heads. The woman, Mei, smiled once then immediately lost all of her false sweetness. Tsunade slightly angled her right foot upwards, getting ready to bring her heel down and reduce this establishment to rubble at the drop of a hat.

“I am not here to harm you. If anything, I have an offer to make.” Tsunade snorted, turned away and snatched her green jacket off the floor.

“No thanks.” Her reputation was truly more of a curse than a blessing and she resolved to apply a different henge next time she entered a new town. Everyone had something they needed of the legendary Senju princess. Tsunade snorted. Damn it all to hell.

“Ah, but you didn't even hear me out yet.”

“Not interested.” Tsunade made it two steps towards the door before the woman's hand found its way on her shoulder, fingertips lingering just above her collar bone. Tsunade raised a brow as she turned around and gave her her best unimpressed stare.

“You're about twenty years too late to try that one.” Instead of being insulted, the redhead merely smirked and tilted her head to the side.

“Ah, that's just a bonus because you're so pretty.” She didn't wink but it was heavily implied. Tsunade growled and shrugged her off. She didn't have time for this. Shizune was bound to turn up at some point and she didn't want to have to deal with her complaints _and_ this annoying stranger.

“I'm leaving.” Just as her hand reached for the door, the woman spoke up one last time.

“At least join me for dinner. This village may not be much to look at but the fish is one of the best in all of Water.” She squinted at the redhead, carefully considering the offer. Tsunade was never one to turn down free food. And while she had never seen this one fight, Tsunade was confident she could take her. There were precious few people who stood a chance against one third of the fucking sannin.

“Fine.” Shizune would find her eventually. She always did.

They did not, as Tsunade initially expected, go to a restaurant. Or even another bar. After a particularly unpleasant stunt on the main island of Water country, Shizune had yelled at her until she agreed to lay low and stay away from major gambling towns for a while. Which was how she had ended up in this run-down village. It hadn't been her first choice but ditching Shizune was _hard_ and beggars couldn't be choosers.

Truth be told, the place wasn't impressive. The people were poor, their houses resembled shacks more than anything else and what little entertainment was to be had, restricted to the only bar for miles around. Now that Tsunade followed this woman who fit into this environment about as well as a Hyuuga in a whorehouse, she couldn't help but notice the truly disproportionate amount of shadows dogging their every step.

“That's a lot of shinobi for a tiny fishing village nobody gives a damn about,” she pointed out, frowning at the massive sword one of their followers had strapped to his back.

“I thought you weren't interested?” Fine. If that was how she wanted to play this, then Tsunade would match her every step of the way.

“As long as I don't get in trouble for being spotted in the company of a runaway heiress,” she replied as they took a right and approached a shack that looked just as miserable as the rest of this village. A low chuckle left the woman's throat as she turned her head to the side, mirth colouring her cheeks a rather becoming shade of red.

“From one runaway heiress to another. Nothing in this place happens without me being aware of it. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I wasn't worried,” Tsunade grumbled as she followed the redhead through a creaking door only to be momentarily startled. The interior was nothing like the desolate outside. Thick carpets covered every inch of the ground and while there wasn't much space, the available room was equipped with modern electronics, a clean kitchen, a cozy sitting area as well as one heavily locked door and a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

“Not suspicious at all,” she murmured to herself and removed her sandals before joining the redhead in the seating area. Food was already waiting for them, a variety of fish and vegetables with two bowls of rice arranged prettily on a low dinner table. A brief flash of fury raced through Tsunade's veins upon realising that the woman had never expected to be turned down. She had played her. Tsunade sat down on one of the colourful cushions and swore to never underestimate that stranger again.

“Please. Enjoy yourself.” And she was smug too. Tsunade grit her teeth and almost cracked her chopsticks. No words were exchanged as they ate and it was easy to pretend she was dining alone. The food at least lived up to the praise it had received. The sake too, was of much higher quality than the stuff she'd been served in that bar. In between bites, she casually studied the redhead. Both were aware of it yet aside from occasionally bowing forward to grant Tsunade a deeper insight into her cleavage, the other woman didn't remark on it.

The entire situation was maddening. Tsunade didn't give a single damn about whatever scheme the woman had cooked up and yet. She had never been able to turn off her curious mind though age, experience and trauma had upped the bar of what she deemed interesting by a large amount. She couldn't figure her out. It was clear the woman wanted something yet didn't attempt to offer herself for the sake of achieving her own ends. Tsunade had a strong instinct for liars that rarely failed her. The advances she'd made had been genuine. But no matter how perfect her henge, her reputation alone should've clued the redhead in on her advanced age.

“Still wondering about little old me?” Tsunade growled and drowned her impending rant in another cup of sake. God, that woman was infuriating.

“I'm Mei. Terumi Mei,” she said with a smile and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Tsunade's eyes got caught on the hint of a silvery line before it was once more covered by auburn strands.

“I'm the leader of the rebellion.” That explained just about everything. The run-down village, the way everyone and their mother deferred to her, the amount of shinobi, even the comfortable interior and fine food.

“I don't do rebellions.” Tsunade was no hero, hadn't been one for years. In hindsight, wondered if she'd ever been. Shaking her head as if to get rid of the memories, she stuffed another piece of fish inside her mouth.

“No. I've seen what you do.” Her head shot up as she narrowed her eyes at the woman.

“You lose a lot of bets and look beautiful doing it.” Tsunade deflated and rolled her eyes at the sudden smile and crinkled eyes. That one simply didn't give up. She was no stranger to being hit on especially for the size of her chest. Though being hit on by someone who was well aware that her physical appearance didn't match up to her age, was rare.

“Seeing as there is no need for you to run from your debt collectors, you might as well stay the night,” the redhead offered while taking a sip of sake, eyes never leaving hers.

“In your bed, I assume,” Tsunade replied drily. Perhaps there wasn't much to figure out after all. She trusted herself not to be swayed by anyone or anything. Tsunade couldn't be convinced to do something she didn't want to do. That included rebellions. As for the constant flirting? A minor annoyance she could bear with.

“It _is_ the most comfortable bed in the entire village,” the woman – Mei – answered with a wink and smile that showed every single one of her pearly white teeth. Tsunade snorted. That woman was ridiculous. They fell into a marginally more comfortable silence after that. Tsunade leaned back and enjoyed the sake, let her free hand drop to the side. Truth be told the entire day had been somewhat of a shit show. Not even gambling had been able to take her mind off... well. Constant existential dread, she supposed.

Side-eyeing Mei, Tsunade released a sigh and lazily pulled at the hairbands of her twin tails. Flinging them off to god knows where, she shifted and unfolded her legs only to cross them at the ankles. Soft laughter caused her to look up right into Mei's amused face.

“You get comfortable like an old woman.” Tsunade, having reached the point of no drunk return, felt none of her usual rage that followed comments about her age and simply raised a single brow.

“I don't mind,” she added but didn't specify whether she meant Tsunade's habits or the years she had spent on this plane. With the kind of grace Tsunade had long since given up on, the redhead got off her seat and rounded the table before sitting down next to her. They didn't touch yet were close enough that Tsunade could feel the heat of her body through both of their clothes.

“I have always been known for my somewhat unusual tastes.” Tsunade grunted in response before arching her back and sighing in relief when the pressure in her back was gone.

“Those tastes being women past their prime?” she asked between sips of sake and allowed her head to tilt backwards, meeting the wooden panels behind her.

“Ah. I like to believe a woman's prime is a result of her experience, resilience and strength,” Mei answered thoughtfully. Tsunade didn't need to look at the woman to know those emerald eyes rested on her.

“You seem to have plenty of all three.” Despite all the alcohol in her system, Tsunade momentarily sobered. That sounded like a hell of a lot more than wanting to get under her shirt for little more than her 'legendary' assets. She tilted her head to scrutinise the redhead, finding no trace of her earlier flirtatious attitude. A small smile rested on her lips and her eyes had darkened, brimming with suppressed fire.

Despite herself, Tsunade snorted softly. A fire-natured water type that was busy orchestrating a rebellion against her bloodthirsty kage. Not an everyday kind of acquaintance.

“You don't believe me,” Mei hummed as she moved her palms down the skirt of her dress to smooth it. The motion caused her arm to brush against Tsunade's. An echo of the touch lingered even after it was long gone.

“You're too young to be interested in someone like me.” It was the sake that loosened her lips. If she wanted, she could purge her system of all alcohol within the blink of an eye. She simply chose not to. The warm buzz was pleasant and she'd always preferred floating above the clouds to being tied down on the ground.

“Oh? Shouldn't that be my choice?” Mei's voice, low and sensual as opposed to the overplayed sultriness she had introduced herself with, wormed its way into Tsunade's ears. It was a nice blend, she thought, of mature dignity and youthful grace. Heavy with promises of warmth, attention and devotion. Tsunade wondered when she had last experienced something like it. Years? (Never?).

“It's my responsibility to warn you that you're making a mistake.” She spoke those words with all the severity they called for. Tsunade was fully aware of what happened to those who got too close. She might not be attached to this woman and her cause but she refused to be its downfall. The ghost of a touch lingered on the top of her wrist and when Tsunade looked, saw perfectly lacquered nails making contact with her bare skin.

“Yet you're not denying me my mistake,” Mei murmured and let the tips of her fingers rest on Tsunade's skin before slowly gliding upwards, following the lean muscle of her arm, leaving behind a hot trail of goosebumps. Tsunade hadn't been touched like that in a long time.

“You're young. Not a child that needs others to make its decisions.” She took another gulp of sake, hyper aware of the fingers gently playing with the sleeve of her blouse. When said fingers wandered closer and closer to the skin of her collar bones, she didn't stop them. Nor did Tsunade shift or move away when the woman's nails gently scratched the bare skin just above the swell of her chest.

“I want you.” There it was. Blunt honesty, for the first time since they met. Tsunade couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly. At last they were on the same level. Spreading her arms on either side of her body for leverage, she leaned back even further and cocked her brow at Mei. She watched as emerald eyes darkener further and further, never once straying from her face despite Tsunade putting her most prominent feature on display.

“Is that all you want? Just me?” One wrong answer and she was gone.

“Yes.” Oh, the stranger was clever. Exhaling languidly, Tsunade licked the last remnants of sake from her lips before shifting her weight and angling her body towards the redhead. She took in her delicate, perfectly symmetrical features, rosy lips with a lovely pout to them and firm, round breasts only halfway hidden by the scandalously low cut of her dress. She was beautiful, certainly determined enough to keep up with her, and if Tsunade's nose didn't fool her, thoroughly soaked.

Her painted lips spread into a wide smirk as she leaned closer, brought her face close to Mei's neck and loudly sniffed the air.

“Why, yes. You do seem to want me very much.” Her throat vibrated with the purr that had woven its way into her voice and Tsunade was pleased to note that this woman wasn't quite as cool as she liked to pretend. Placing a single digit against her bare skin, Tsunade sent a pulse of chakra through the redhead's body.

“Elevated heart rate, quickened pulse, dilated pupils, and... oh my,” she murmured as her finger dipped lower and lower until it hovered just above her right breast. Raising her gaze, she met Mei's flushed face and relished in the way her chest rose and fell harshly with each breath she took.

“Were you already horny before we met or did you spot me and decided you wanted to fuck me,” Tsunade mused as she leaned even closer and closed her eyes. The redhead smelled of fire, the ocean, arousal and salt. An utterly unique combination and what a pleasant one, too.

“You sure changed your mind quickly,” the younger woman replied after an audible swallow, body taut with tension. Tsunade shrugged casually and went on her knees, one on either side of Mei's right leg.

“Do you want to talk,” she asked while slowly reaching for the sash around her waist,

“or act?” She stopped her motions, and for a second nothing happened. Then, between one moment and the next, Tsunade found herself pressed with her back against the wall and Mei above her like a raging storm.

“Yes, you might do,” Tsunade hummed lowly and banished all thought from her mind before losing herself in a pleasant haze of alcohol, heated kisses and the intense focus of a woman that might just be her equal in more ways than one.

Waking up came with the mother of all headaches. Tsunade hissed as a bright ray of sunlight assaulted her sensitive eyes and slapped a hand over her face. Her body was enveloped in a blanket of warmth, and she felt like resting on clouds instead of countless fluffy cushions. Not knowing where she was after a night of drunken gambling was hardly news to Tsunade.

Finding herself with naked company, definitely was.

An arm was slung around her waist, attached to a very female upper body with a head full of red. The woman's face rested between Tsunade's breasts and the longer she stared at her, the closer she came to remembering. Rebellion girl. Mei. She blinked twice in surprise, then snorted to herself and grumbled upon attempting to move the sleeping stranger off her body.

She couldn't believe that she'd given in. Tsunade hadn't had sex in... years. And plenty of both men and women had tried to get her just drunk enough to be willing company, completely underestimating her tolerance for alcohol. Tsunade tended to milk them until they ran out of money, them ditch the fools. She'd, quite obviously, not ditched that one.

After a few unsuccessful tries, Tsunade gave up on being subtle and unceremoniously pushed the redhead away until she rolled off to the side. Still asleep. Shaking her head, Tsunade got out of the woman's bed and groaned at the ache in her joints. Age was a bitch. So was Mei who had apparently ruined both Tsunade's bra and underwear if the shreds of charcoal cotton were anything to go by.

At least her blouse and pants had survived the ordeal. Making a mental note to organise underwear _before_ Shizune found out, Tsunade tied the dark blue sash around her waist and moved her fingers through messy blonde strands. Just as she was about to open the bedroom door and leave the woman's abode, an amused chuckle stopped her in her tracks.

“There's no need to run. You don't owe me any money.” Tsunade's brow twitched and for some reason or another, she decided to turn around. Like a satisfied feline, the redhead crawled off the bed in all her naked glory. Faint red lines marked her skin in sets of four, accompanied by harsh bruised bite marks on her neck, chest and thighs. She must have done something to provoke her. Tsunade didn't play rough unless forced to.

“I told you. I don't-”

“do rebellions. I know,” Mei agreed easily as she bowed down to pick up the remains of her dress. A mournful pout later, she discarded the ruined garment in a corner of the room.

“You're leaving today?” she asked before opening a closet and pulling an identical blue dress from its depths.

“Within the hour.” Shizune was doutblessly already up and about, scouring every nook and cranny of this tiny fishing place for her hungover companion. Well. Hungover and well-fucked. That ache between her legs would take days to fade naturally and as Tsunade watched the redhead put on her dress and inspect the bites on her neck in a mirror, she stopped the steady stream of healing chakra already pooling below her stomach.

“When I'm successful, in a few years, will you send me a letter?” Tsunade raised her brows, one hand on the doorknob.

“And if you fail?” she asked for a reason she couldn't name. What did it matter to her? Sure, the woman had been a good lay but Tsunade didn't owe her anything.

“Well then I shall be quite dead and the letter won't be necessary anymore.” Tsunade flinched, then ground her teeth as Mei momentarily stilled, lipstick pressed against her mouth. Unbeknown to Tsunade, her features softened marginally and had returned to normal by the time their eyes met once more.

“Next time you gamble, you should place a bet against my life.” What was meant to be a jest hit Tsunade right in the gut. She froze for a second, one hand resting over the small pocket sewn into her pants. She bit her lip, unable to stop the images of all those dead and gone from entering her mind, then forced her eyes hut and balled her hands to fists.

“You'll get your damn letter,” she growled and reached into the pocket, fingers closing around the last ryo of her emergency stash. Without looking back, she flung the coin at the woman before opening the door and entering the hallway.

“For your rebellion,” Tsunade called over her shoulder as she descended the stairs of Mei's home and took to the streets in search for Shizune. Upon reuniting with Dan's niece, she avoided any and all questions with a careless wave of her hands and a few lines of bullshit nobody was fooled by. As promised, they left the tiny fishing village behind after less than an hour.

Tsunade was a woman of reason and logic, not one to be superstitious. Still, she left Water behind and vowed to never return. And just to make sure, as she sat down in a gambling den somewhere in Wave and exchanged money for chips, she privately bet that Mei would die.

She continued making that bet every single day for six whole years.

Tsunade was getting too old for this shit. With a loud groan, she sunk onto a rock that would serve as makeshift chair. Surrounded by rubble, the bodies of the fallen and the still festive mood of those who had yet to crash and burn, she allowed herself a quiet moment just for herself. She'd lived through three major wars, assumed an office she'd never wanted in the first place, seen death... so much death... and she was tired.

Her time had come. She wouldn't take back the hat, refuse to even return to the village. The Hatake brat would make do. And Tsunade... Tsunade would wander. Perhaps with Shizune, perhaps without. She'd never been meant to stay in one place for long.

“I was waiting, you know?” Too tired to jump or startle, Tsunade merely raised her head and observed the Mizukage approach before claiming a smaller rock right next to hers as her seat. Tsunade stared, her mind too sluggish to make the connection this woman obviously waited for.

“Your letter. You promised.” For a few moments, she simply sat there and looked, drawing an absolute blank. The Mizukage chuckled, then reached into her dress and produced a single dull, scuffed ryo. Tsunade's eyes widened as suddenly the memories came rushing back, memories of a single night spent in Water's rebel camp, the feel of the redhead's – Mei's – quivering body coming undone underneath her fingers, the last of her coins she had left her, the bet she had repeated for _years_ -

“You kept it,” Tsunade murmured and instinctively snatched the coin with two fingers as it sailed through the air.

“Of course. It was my good luck charm,” Mei answered with an upwards quirk of her lips that looked just as it had ten years ago. The woman hadn't changed. Not one bit. Even the dress was still the same. Something about it eased some of the pressure in her chest.

“Did you bet on my death?”

“Every day.” Silence fell between them as things moved and happened around them. Tsunade felt every single one of her years deep in her bones as she watched those around her slowly come back down to earth. The euphoria of a war won never lasted long. Nobody knew this better than Tsunade herself.

“What are you going to do now?” Mei asked as she leaned back, head tilted backwards and eyes staring at the cloudy sky.

“Lose the damn hat. Lose the damn village.” The answer came to her instantly. There was nothing she desired more than that. No more responsibilities. She was ready to retire and for good, this time.

“And then?”

“Wander, I suppose,” Tsunade replied with a shrug, mimicking Mei's posture and watching the clouds alongside her fellow kage.

“You should come visit.” Honey eyes went wide. She looked to her left only to find the woman casual, relaxed and unfazed. She stared for a minute, mustered her from top to bottom, mute in her surprise. Then:

“Yeah. I might.” Mei abandoned her cloud watching and returned Tsunade's gaze.

“Do you promise?” she asked, face open and wiped clean of any emotion, a blank mirror that held none of the fake sweetness Tsunade had long since come to associate with the flirtatious Godaime Mizukage. In its place was little more than genuine softness, a faint echo of a single night spent in a rundown shack in the middle of nowhere.

“...yes. I promise.” And this time, Tsunade vowed to make good on her word.

**Author's Note:**

> One of my most favourite ships. Let me know what you think. :)


End file.
